What makes writers succeed? Do they follow any rigorous routine in the evening so that they wake up fresh in the morning? It is not just enough to have a clockwork schedule in the morning. Successful writers also follow a structured night time routine so that they remain focused the next day. Stephen King followed the art of “creative sleep.” He once said, “In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives.” This means you need to disconnect yourself from your normal profession or routine and give yourself time to rewind so that you emerge with a fresher, more creative mind.
1. Prioritize sleep
Sleeping is crucial to anyone, be it an author or an entrepreneur. Many successful writers prioritize their sleep by following a sleep schedule. If you aspire to be a successful author, it is good to adhere to a consistent sleep schedule. Ensure that your bedroom does not have a television or a laptop. Use your bedroom only to sleep. Stephen King follows an interesting sleep ritual. His pillows point to a certain direction when he sleeps and the open side of the pillowcase points in toward the other side of the bed. The Victorian novelist Emily Brontë used to walk around the dining table at night until she was tired enough to sleep. Charles Dickens used to sleep by facing the north direction as he believed that would enhance his creativity.
2. Set priorities for tomorrow
Many writers end their writing sometimes in the middle of the day or evening and continue in the morning. Stephen King writes ten pages a day without fail. Ernest Hemingway wrote 500 words every day. He used to wake up early morning to write in peace. Henry Miller created a work schedule that listed his “Commandments” and he followed it daily. This list was published in his book Henry Miller on Writing.
3. Set time to disconnect
It is important to untangle yourself from what you are doing. Joan Didion takes timeout for herself by spending one hour before dinner with a drink. This helps her to start writing afresh. used to spend time with friends in the evenings or read in cafes. At times, he even used to go riding on a bicycle or paint.
4. Set time for reading
Many writers diligently set apart time for reading. They do this by allotting a fixed time to read before they hit the bed. This habit may lead to increased creativity, which will reflect in their writing. Some enjoy skimming tech blogs while others love reading fiction or philosophy.
5. Meditate
A lot of writers love to unwind by spending time to mediate. They spend 10 minutes before bed to meditate as this helps them to relax their body and calm their mind. A number of meditation techniques exist, which you could try out. One of the simplest is mindfulness, where you focus on your ingoing and outgoing breath, keeping your entire attention on your breathing.
I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.